Acetylene generator



Feb. 5, 1924. 11,482,533

' o. N. GREDELL ACETYLENB'GENERATOR Filed Oct. 22 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet l :uyJ.

1402 utoz am/Mmmm if;

PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO N. GREDELL, OF EAST KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

. .ACE'FJEYLENIE'. GENERATOR.

Application filed October 22, 1920. Serial 110. 418,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'rro 'N. Gnnnmm, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Kansas City, in the county of Clay and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements'in Acet lene Generators; and I do declare the fol oWin to be a full, clear, and exact description 0 the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the sa e, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an acetylene gas generator. Among the manifold objects thereof is the provision of means for increasing the efliciency of the generator and insuring adequate performance to efi'ect the desired result when the generator is operating.

I have provided means whereby the feed of the calcium carbide may be insured when ever there is a demand for it within the gas generating chamber. As is well known the carbide in its commercial state consists of lumps of various sizes with the result that the material is liable to clog or stick in the ordinary form of the feed hopper, rendering the machine inoperative becauseif the feed of the carbide ceases there will be a cessation in the formation of the gas.

I have provided means whereby a relatively, uniform feed of carbide may be insured at each feeding operation of the machine, but means is provided to allow the larger lumps to find their way from the hopper into the gas nerating chamber,

said means consisting 0 a, hopper having an expansive wall which expands only upon the presentation of an abnormally sized lump of calcium carbide. I

I have also provided a novel means' for effecting the discharge of the carbide from the hopper in varying amounts dependent upon the gas pressure within the as chamher, said means being adapted to e set for varying pressures. It is also one of the features of my invention to control the feed by a float, movable in response to the pressure within the generating chamber, the float in the illustrated embodiment of my invention being provided with stabilizing means.

I have also provided means for cooling the float chamber there being also means pro vided for efliciently cleaning the bottom of the gas generating chamberof the ash or solid matter precipitated from the calcium carbide during the process of gas generatlon.

The particular construction of the generator selected for illustrative purposes need not be accurately followed in order to produce the desired result contemplated by my nvention, it being understood that changes 1n form, proportion, and minor details of the construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its-advantages.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional view through a gas generator constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, sectional view through the hopper feed, the actuating mechanism being shown in elevation.

1 designates a casing or tank within which is the operating mechanism of the gas generator. The tank 1 is supported by an annular flange or ring 2 which spaces the bottom 3 of e tank above thefloor or other support to permit air to circulate through the perforation 4 in the tank member 2 and up t rough a float chamber to be specificaliv referred to hereinafter. I I

The bottom of the tank 1 i provided with an outlet port 5 communicating with a discharge pipe 6 in which is located a valve 7 whereby communication between the port 5 and the pipe 6 may be established or closed, such as the occasion may demand. Adjacent to the bottom of the tank 1 is a longitudinally movable bar 8 having a link connection 9 with a crank shaft 10, one end of which extends through the side of the tank 1 and is rigidly fastened to a hand lever 11 whereby the rod or bar 8 may be recipro-- cated. The bar or rod 8 is fastened to a lurality of transverse, cleaning mem )BIS shown as chains 12 which have their ends fastened to the tank and also to bar 8, and

lit?

since the bar 8 is in axial alignment with the port it will be apparent that when the shaft is rocked by the lever 11, a recipro a while the agitation of the accumulated matter in the bottom of the tank 1 i taking place, the tank is bein flushed in the usual manner common to suc devices, that is, by introducing water into the gas generating chamber and permitting it to flow out through the ort 5. v

The top 0 the tank is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 13 and it is normally closed by a cover 14 which rests u on a gasket 15 supported by the flange 13. elow the flange 13 is a ring 16 which carries the clamping bolts 17, the laterally projecting portions 18 of which overlap the cover plate 14 and the shanks of which extend through the ring 16 and are secured by nuts 19, as will be clearly indicated by reference to Fig. 1. After the bolts are in place, they may be held against displacement by the guard ring 20 having ofi'set portions 21 to t around shanks of the bolts 17, as shown in Fig. 5.

Within the tank 1 and adjacent to the cover 14 is a feed hopper 22 immediately beneath the inlet opening'23 in the cover 14 which may be closed by a suitable closure 24. The

hopper 22 is provided with a conical bottom 25 having a discharge opening 26 to the wall of which are secured hangers 27 carrying'yielding wall members 28, constituting gates and shown as comprising strips hung from brackets 27 and provided withoverbalanced wei hts 29 (see Fig. 4) which normally ten to hold the gate members 28 in hopper-discharge-constricting position so that when the conical valve member 30 is in itsuppermost position the hopper will be closed because the cone member 31 will close off communication between the coneshaped portion 25 and the gas generating chamber 32 containing a body of water 33. When, however, the valve 30 is lowered to unseating position the carbide 34 may feed past the valve into the gas generating chamber. If the discharge end of the hopper consisted of a rigid wall, there would be liability of the larger lumps of carbide clog ing the discharge end of the hopper, but iy providing the flexible discharge wall consisting of members 28, the wall will be allowed to expand enough to permit the larger lumps to drop into the gas generating chamber, the weights immediately thereafter constricting the discharge end of the hopper so that the entire contents within the hopper 25 will not fall into the tank. The wei hts: 29 are heavy enough to resist the ten ency of the more finely divided material to force the strips 28 outwardly, the yielding of the strips 28 being accomplished only on the presentation of the larger lumps.

It will be apparent that the cone-shaped 'valve is held against sidewise movement by the stem 35, which is guided in the recess 36 on the bracket 37 supported by the hopper and havin adownwardly projecting arm 38, the en 39 of which carries an adjustable rod 39, within the longitudinal recess 39" in the stem 40. k

' The rod 39' is in vertical alignment with the stem 35 so that the stem 40 will be guided vertically but will be held against sidewise movement. The stem 40 is provided with a slot in which is mounted a roller 41, against which rests the curved portion 42 of a float-actuated lever 43, movable in response to themovement of the float 44 in the float chamber 45 within thetank 1. Therefore, as the 'floa-t rises and falls, the valve 30 will be actuated through the medium of the lever 43.

The float 44 will rise andfall in response to the gas pressure in the gas accumulating chamber 46 immediately above the gas generating chamber 43, it being apparent by reference to Fig. 1 that the float chamber is supplied with a suitable'quantity of water to support the float 44. The float 44 is open at the bottom and closed at its top, the top 47 having a depending, open pipe 48 connected thereto which permits the escape of a certain amount of air in space 49 so that the float may sink relativel deep into the liquid contained in the float c amber and thereby stabilize itself during its operation. This will be apparent when it is considered that, in actual practice, the deeper the float is emersed the more staple it will be. When the float rises relatively high in the liquid, the curved end will be depressed or lowered so that the valve 30 unseats and allows the calcium carbide to drop into the guard hopper 50 and discharge into the gas generating chamber where the gas is formed, which obviously creates pressure when the pressure in the gas accumulating chamber 46 reaches a determined pressure. The float 44 will be depressed, causing the valve 30 to close where it will remain closed or partially closed until there is a drop in the pressure in the chamber 46, whereupon the float 44 will again rise, deipressin the curved end 42 and allowing a ditiona calcium carbide to be fed into the water to generate more as. g It is desirable to vary the pressure at which it is desired to have the float operate, this being determined by the particular Work required of the gas generator and I have provided means for varying the fulcrum of the lever 43 so that the float may be raised or lowered mechanically in the float chamber, the mechanical adjustability of the fulcrum determining the degree of ressure to which the valve will open. The ulcrum is shown as consisting of a block 51 having two depending arms 52' and 53 pivoted at 54 to the lever 43, the upper arms 55 and 56 being connected to a swiveled head 57 adjusted by a pivot 58 which passes through the lug 59 of the head 57 to permit relative movement between the block 61 and the operating rod 60.

The head 57 is connected to the threaded rod 60 by passing the rod through the opening 61 in the head and providing a collar 62 on said rod within the recess 63, clearly apparent by reference toFig. 3, therefore, the rod 60 may be turned with respect to the head without turnin the head. This is important because the t readed portion 64 of the rod engages a threaded portion 65 in the stufling box 66 rigid with the cover 14, therefore, when the rod 60 is turned by the hand wheel 66' exteriorly of the tank 1, the rod will be moved longitudinally as well as turned, imparting a longitudinal move ment to the block 51 which s provided with the outstanding fingers 67 and 68 in the slots 69 on opposite sides of the bracket 70 carried by the hopper 22; hence, it will be apparent that the fulcrum may be raised and lowered by turning the hand wheel 66" thereby adjusting the float to become effective at difierent pressures.

The float chamber 45 has an overflow 71 leading therefrom into the chamber 33, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1 and surrounding the float chamber 45 and separating it from the gas generating chamber 33 is a cooling chamber v72 having an inlet portion 73 at its bottom communicating. with the space heneath the bottom of the tank 1, said space being adapted to communicate with the interior of the cooling chamber 72 through said inlet ports 73 by the current of air be-' ing adapted to discharge through the discharge port 74 in the side of the tank 1 above the water level in the 'gas generating chamber 33. Since the generation of the gas by the breaking down of the calicum carbidewill heat the water and thereby heat the wall of the cooling chamber, it will be apparent that a circulation of air will be induced through the cooling chamber on account of the well known tendency of the heated air to rise. In the present instance the heated air will pass through 74 and thereby induce the cooler air to come into the cooling chamber through the port 73. Obviously, this will prevent the water within the chamber 45 from becoming too hot and thereby disturbingthe movement of the operation of the float therein. The tank may be supplied with water through the inlet pipe 75,

that a gas generator constructed in accord ance With my invention will be simple in construction, that it will efficiently function under difl'erent conditions and that liability of its getting out of order will be reduced to a minimum. 1

It will also be apparent that should the lever 43 fail to function for any reason, the cone-shaped valve 30 will drop to the bo tom of the hopper 50 and close the discharge opening thereof because the diameter of the cone 30 is greater than the diameter of theoutlet for the hopper 50. This will prevent the entire contents of the hopper 25 from being discharged into the gas generating chamber. The advantage of this will be apparent when it is considered that if the entire contents of hopper 21 should accidentally be deposited into the gas generating chamber, t e gas would generate in such volume as to be liable to explode the tank. With the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, however, such a condition will be eliminated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1 v

1. The combination with an acetylene generator casing, of a feed hopper therein hav-' ing a bottom openin swinging fingers hung about the edge of t e openin a vertically movable cone against which t e lower ends of the fingers normally rest, and means for raising and lowering the cone.

2. he combination with an acetylene enerator casing, of a feed hopper thereinfiaving a bottom openin swinglng'nngers hung about the edge of t e o enin ,a verticall movable cone against w ich t e lower-en s of the fingers normally rest, and pressureresponsive means for raising and lowering the cone.

3. The combination with an acetylene gen 'erator casing, of a feed hopper therein havmovable cone against which the lower ends of the fingers normally rest, a bar carrying the cone, a roller in the bar, and a curved arm on which the roller rests whereby when the arm is rocked, the cone will be raised or lowered.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

@TTO N. GREDELL. 

